Family acceptance and prosocial behaviour: The role of personality factors in minors with custodial measures

Abstract

This research analyses the existing relationship between feeling of familiar acceptance and dimensions of prosocial behaviour in underaged offenders under a detention regime. Attention must be also paid to determining the mediator and moderator role played by personality factors (Big Five model) in the relationship between family acceptance and prosocial behaviour. The sample consisted of 162 underaged offenders aged between 14 and 22 (M = 17.10, SD = 1.41), who are serving a judicial measure of detention in centres located in Madrid Region, Spain. The results show that although there is no direct relation between feeling of family acceptance and different dimensions of prosocial behaviour, indirect effects showed through personality factors of emotional stability and responsibility (conscience) can be found. This suggests that emotional stability plays a mediator role within the existing linkage between feeling of family acceptance and prosocial behaviour in its altruism and anonymous conduct dimensions; responsibility (conscience) also plays a moderator role. To sum up, this research reflects family significance in the positive development of responsibility and emotional stability characteristics in children, these personality attributes being the variables with direct effect on prosocial behaviour of underaged offenders sentenced to a judicial measure of detention.